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May 14, 2013

Little story I came up with, for this special fragrance. Once upon a time in faraway Japan there lived a princess, black as raven her hair and white as swan her skin, she has been sleeping for so long that the nights never seemed to end. Only to be woken up by a scent with earth's depth, soaked in night rain and plush as velvet.

In modern times, the house of Kenzo churns out this oriental perfume in a royal looking garb. Kenzo Pour Femme Once Upon A Time was launched as their 40th anniversary limited edition perfume in 2010, guess I bought it in Oct-Nov that year. It is an Eau De Toilette 100 ml version. This is an intense perfume, a mix of floral, spicy and earthy scent. If Chloe was summer and cool, then this perfume speaks winter and warm. When I tried Kenzo Femme there was absolute confusion what it smelled like but I loved it. Then after few uses it struck me, as absurd it may sound, a mix of betel leaf and coffee. The floral notes open up with the caffeine concoction, hints of cardamom, cinnamon and something earthy. There is no citrus scent in it which makes Kenzo Femme stands apart from a hoard of citrus / fruity perfumes. The earthy and woody notes provides such depth to the perfume, from the very first spray it inclines to royal. Some might find this an unisex perfume. After spraying the perfume, there is a moist feel attached to it and the longevity is around 5-6 hours.The packaging is in sync with fragrance, deep teal colored bottle with oriental illustration of flowers, dragon scales and polka dots, in shades of fuchsia. The bottle is very heavy metal, it won't break but not exactly travel friendly.Recommendation - I feel Kenzo Femme is great for monsoon and cold weather. Kenzo perfumes are distinctive from other brands and this again is an addition to it. You won't find something similar to it. If you are a fan of heavy fragrance and Japanese dark stories allure you, then Kenzo Femme is game.

May 6, 2013

A hoarder of colors in their bright and cheery forms, monochrome palette of black and white seems boring to me. But the statement look of Spring Summer'13 being head-to-toe Black and White, the impact of monochrome trend was visible from Marc Jacobs to Topshop.Since the color palette is restrained the clothes exemplify streamlined cuts, spaces & lines and geometric patterns.Simple fashion, no embellishments, androgynous silhouettes, loose tailoring and layering - are the mantras of this trend. It is not about wearing your solid black blazer or white pants, but to steer towards bold stripes, clean black outlines on white and monochrome prints which create a graphical impact in head.

Marc Jacobs presented the trend in extravagant geometric lines, stripey and matchy. Prada's collection is rather dreamy with imprint of daisies and hints of red lacquer. Moschino being a fun and flirty brand forays into buttoned up doll silhouettes, black lines on white and vice-versa.AMALRAJ SENGUPTA

On Indian runways, we saw a chic collection put forward by designer Amalraj Sengupta, his Summer Resort 2013 line featuring stripes in solid colors. It saw the fusion of monochrome in Indo-Western outfits.

This trend is about experimenting in strong black and white graphics and introducing color through bold-bright lipsticks (orange and fuchsia tones), color block bags and matching black-white footwear. Monochrome fashion is classic but is hard to wear as complete outfit. As long as you choose structured cuts and pattern suited to your body type, it won't go wrong. Do not go overboard with accessories and keep the fitting breathable.images courtesy: herworldplus.com,harpersbazaar.com,Moschino facebook,net-a-porter.com,glamourmagazine.co.uk,Hive-in by amalraj sengupta,Zara people

May 4, 2013

So here is the truth about the peaches and cream, flawless skin you see in photo shoots, magazine covers or even your friend who seems to have no dark spots or pigmentation. The wonder product - foundation. And aptly called, good foundation is the base for flawless, commendable makeup. MAC Face and Body Foundation, a much hyped backstage product was launched last year in India and I am gaga over it.Quantity - 50 mlPrice- INR 1700

MAC Face and Body **the iron foundation :D

As claimed on website, MAC Face and Body is fluid foundation that provides low-to-medium buildable coverage and a flawless, natural satin-shine finish. Skin conditioning, water-resistant and long-wearing.This foundation is lightweight and sheer-medium in application as I build it up slowly. If one has natural, healthy & clear skin, then this product is made for you as it provides my skin but better look. It does not cover any pigmentation, scars or spots, so I need a concealer for those spots. What it does is to even out the skin but still look natural. MAC Face & Body is suitable for dry skin as it gives a dewy finish and subtle shine. For oily skin, it might build up on the oil and sweat in these summers, since the foundation is no where close to matte.

On application, the texture feels cool and thin water-based lotion which disappears on the skin and slowly I layer it on. MAC Face & Body could be difficult to work with and needs some time as it can be streaky if not applied correctly. I apply foundation with fingers so I go section wise, apply few dots on one part, go in circular motion to layer it and slightly tap with fingers to blend the foundation into skin. I require two layers to be satisfied with the finish and even out any variations. Although this foundation is long wearing (6-7 hours), I still do the simple routine of base moisturiser / sunscreen, then applying Face & Body and setting it up with sheer coverage powder. This ensures the longevity and glow of skin.Here is a video by MAC Artist Fatima Thomas on creating perfect skin through which I learnt to apply foundation using fingers. Here she tips to buff in the Face & Body foundation with fingers and what i really love about this video that this tutorial works for dusky skin like me,as it covers the under eyes and grey area around mouth and comes up with glowing prepped up skin. I will try to discuss this video in a detailed post.About the water resistant part I am not sure but here is a cue to weather resistance. I have used this in winter (Jan-Feb) wedding season and it did not require re-application and kept the skin moisture intact, no dry patches. It photographed very well even in close up shots. In summers, if staying out in sun / hot environment then I need to blot the T-zone after 3-4 hours and re-apply the powder, although the foundation is intact.The product shade range is great and Indian skin tones can definitely match to a shade. I use C3 which looks slight yellow and matches my medium-olive tone. It does not give patchy or whitish cast look. MAC Face & Body does not have any SPF so sunscreen underneath is must in summers. In summer daytime I go for a slight matte sunscreen with this and at night a light veil of MAC Studio Moisture cream. I have not used this on body so can't comment on that part.

The packaging is plastic bottle with nozzle which controls the thin flow of product and it has to be shaken before use. There is no fragrance and I have not experienced any sensitivity issues. For me this is a perfect regular foundation with hassle free medium coverage and reasonably priced.Recommendation - MAC Face & Body is a boon for healthy maintained skin and absolute go to for fresh looking makeup. Dry skin would love it for the moisture it provides and dewy look.